Tous droits réservés © Les Presses de l'Université de Montréal, 1989 This document is protected by copyright law. Use of the services of Érudit (including reproduction) is subject to its terms and conditions, which can be viewed online. https://apropos.erudit.org/en/users/policy-on-use/ This article is disseminated and preserved by Érudit. Érudit is a non-profit inter-university consortium of the Université de Montréal, Université Laval, and the Université du Québec à Montréal. Its mission is to promote and disseminate research. https://www.erudit.org/en/ Document generated on 07/02/2022 4:51 a.m. Sociologie et sociétés Parsons et Élias Parsons and Elias Stephen MENNELL Talcott Parsons : Relectures Volume 21, Number 1, printemps 1989 URI: https://id.erudit.org/iderudit/001498ar DOI: https://doi.org/10.7202/001498ar See table of contents Publisher(s) Les Presses de l'Université de Montréal ISSN 0038-030X (print) 1492-1375 (digital) Explore this journal Cite this article MENNELL, S. (1989). Parsons et Élias. Sociologie et sociétés, 21(1), 69–86. https://doi.org/10.7202/001498ar Article abstract Talcott Parsons and Norbert Elias both came to sociology from studies in philosophy and medicine, and arrived in Heidelberg at about the same time, moving in the same circles without apparently meeting. Despite the very great differences in the outward form of their mature work - as first seen in The Structure of Social Action and Ueber den Prozess der Zivilisation - the underlying theoretical concerns overlap considerably. A key to their different approaches is Elias's early rebellion against the Kantian tradition, to which Parsons remained fundamentally loyal. The article sketches the differences between the two authors' theories of knowledge and views of concept and theory formation, and between their uses of Freudian theory. It does not, however, compare their respective theories of the development of human society.